The present invention relates generally to light fixture apparatus for mounting on a wall of a room and more particularly to an improved patient auxiliary light mounted to the wall of a hospital room.
Some conventional hospital rooms are provided with a track mounted on a wall of the hospital room. Lights, electrical outlets and various other ancillary equipment are mounted to this track. A typical example is the Integris Patient Light and Headwall System available from Hill-Rom of Batesville, Ind. and is described in U.S. patent application 08/705,214 filed Aug. 29, 1996, which is incorporated herein by reference. The auxiliary light source disclosed in the aforementioned mentioned rotates about an axis parallel to the wall and may be used as an examination light. Such light has only one degree of freedom of adjustment.
The present invention provides an auxiliary or examination light for a hospital room which has more than one degree of freedom of adjustment.
The light fixture apparatus of the present invention is configured to be mounted onto the wall of the room, preferably a hospital room. It includes a support frame mounted to the wall and an auxiliary or examination light source coupled to the support frame and movable from a first stored position to a second deployed position. Also, depending upon the light fixture, it may include another light box coupled with a frame and including a light source. A first switch in series with the auxiliary light source is opened when the auxiliary light is in the stored position and closed when the auxiliary light is in the deployed position. An on/off switch is connected in series with the first switch and the auxiliary light source. While the on/off switch is preferably coupled to the support frame, the first is coupled to the support frame to detect the stored or deployed position of the auxiliary light source. A transformer for the light source is coupled to the support frame and connected electrically to the first switch and the auxiliary light source. Also, a fan may be coupled to the auxiliary light source and connected electrically to the first switch and the auxiliary light source.
A pair of telescopic members move relatively to each other along a first axis and couple the auxiliary light source to the support frame. Telescopic members allow the auxiliary light source to move from the stored position to the deployed position. The auxiliary light source is rotatably connected to a first end of the telescopic members. A bracket is pivotally connected to the first end of the telescopic members to pivot about a second axis transverse to the first axis. The auxiliary light source is connected to the bracket. This produces the pivotal motion of the auxiliary light source about the second axis. The auxiliary light source is pivotally connected to the bracket to pivot about a third axis transverse to the second axis. A stop is provided to limit the pivoting of the auxiliary source about the third axis. Thus the light source has three degrees of adjustment, namely one, along the first axis of the telescopic members, two, pivoting about the second axis and three, pivoting about the third axis. Alternatively, the pair of telescopic members may rotate relative to each other. Again, a stop is provided to limit the relative rotation of the telescopic members. In this embodiment, the light source is pivotally connected to the first end of the telescopic members to pivot about the second axis transverse to the first axis.
In both embodiments, the telescopic members are pivotally connected at its second end to the support to pivot about a fourth axis transverse the first axis. The frame includes a stop and a spring biasing the telescopic members about the fourth axis towards the stop. A switch is provided adjacent the telescopic members to sense the pivoting about this fourth axis. This switch is a safety switch connected to the electrical system of the bed such that if the telescopic members pivot up, the safety switch will open and disconnect the power source to the bed.
A cover is coupled to the support frame and has a first contour extending from the support frame. A housing for the auxiliary light source has, in the stored position, a second contour extending from the support which is similar to the first contour of the cover. The auxiliary light source housing has opposed end walls which in the stored position are transverse to the support frame. The lamp of he auxiliary light source is positioned in the housing such that the illumination from the lamp exits an aperture in one of the end walls.